3270 Christchurch Shooting Video

We've received no small number of complaints regarding the fact we will not carry the video filmed by the psychopath who murdered 49 innocent people in New Zealand, streaming the event live on Facebook. As a result we decided we'd put out a statement explaining why we have taken this stance.

Previously we have risked the ire of viewers by refusing to show the glossy promo videos for ISIS. The ones shot on DSLR's, with depth of field, careful framing, and murders stage managed for the camera. Whilst we may carry media showing the most terrible of events we don't want to be a vehicle of choice for those who carry these events out. This is a very important distinction for us.

The Christchurch shooter wasn't just some random “nutcase”. He planned not just the murders but also the chaos he would sow with his manifesto which reads like the fevered dream of a fully fledged “shitposter”. Currently, judging by media coverage and reactions online, he's getting almost exactly what he wanted. We don't intend to indulge him further.

We've never had a “show everything” policy and we'll continue to review certain items on a case by case basis. We fully understand some people will be very unhappy with this decision but, as with previous decisions, we will stand by it all the same.

We hope you can understand our position on this even if you disagree. We aren't campaigning to prevent other sites carrying the video, we aren't suggesting nobody should be allowed to view it should they choose to, but we are saying we don't want it on our platform and we will continue to remove it whenever it is discovered.